Interlocked flooring



J. D. BUTLER.

INTERLOCKED FLOORING.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2S. 191B.

2 SHEEIShSHEET 2.

A TTHNEYS JACOB ID. BUTLER, 0F NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

INTERLOCKED FLOORING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

Application led ecember 23, 1918. Serial No. 267,971.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB D. BUTLER, a citizen. of the United States,and a resident of Northampton,` in the county of Hampshire and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Interlocked Flooring, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This `invention relates to carpentry and has particular reference toflooring of the block, mosaic, or parquet type.

.Among the objects of the invention is t0 provide a high class parquetiooring that may be made and laid at much less expense for material andlabor than analogous floorings now being laid..

Another object of the invention is to provide flooring material made inuniform blocks or sections from small bits or scraps of material whichcommonly `are discarded or wasted.

Another object of the invention is to provide a. sectional flooring thatmay belaid rapidly and with exactitude by anyone even an unskilledworkman.

A still further object of the invention is to provide interlockingiiooring so designed and constructed as to enable a fioor to be laid onany ordinary level surface, such as a bed of concrete, without requiringnails or other hardware for holding or locking the parts or sectionsthereof in place.

'With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists inthe arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described andclaimed7 and while the invention is not restricted. to the exact detailsof construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose ofillustratingv a practical embodiirnent thereof reference is had to theaccompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate thesame parts in the several views and in which-- Figure 1 is a fragmentaryplan View showing a partially laid floor 1n accordance with myinventlon.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail plan view,`

partly in horizontal section showing more particularly the interlockingaction of the several blocks.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional detail on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a broken longitudinal section on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is vertical sectional detail aprrormatey on ,the .line 5:5 efFis. 2,1m@

prior to the final adjusted position and showing especially thetwo'diferent forms of grooves and the relation of the dovetailed tonguethereto.

Figs 6 and 7 are respectively front and rear perspective views of theuniform blocks; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detail View indieating the manner in which ablock is put into place.

For the purpose of the present illustrations and description it may beassumed that each of the standard blocks as a face area of exactly fourby eight inches and with tongues projecting from one end and one side aquarter of an inch requiring that the block from which the finishedblock is made must be four and a quarter by eight and a quarter inches.Also the half length blocks must have a surface area of four by fourwith the original length or width of four and one quarter inches. I havefound in my practice that the thickness of the finished block should bethirteen sixteenths of an inch. I wish it to be distinctly understood,however,` that while I have found the foregoing dimensions as entirelysuitable for rapid and satisfactory work, any other suitable forms ordimensions within the scope of my invention may be utilized. y

Referring now more specifically to the illustrations each standard blockindicated as a whole at l0,of perfectly rectangular form, is providedalong one end which may be regarded in this description as the left handend with a groove 11 rectangular in. cross section and having a depth ofa quar ter of an inch to receive the strong unbroken tongue 12 rojectedtherein from the next adjacent endwise disposed block, the length ofwhich tongue is one quarter of an inch. Along the front side or edge 13of the block are formed three dovetailed tongues 14:, 15 and 16, thefirst having its `than the length of the tongue 15. The rear side oredge 17 of the block is defined by a vdimensions above indicated.

plane perpendicular to the smooth finishedV Vtise is .another dovetailedgroove. one at 9:2

merging into the end groove 11, and the other at 23 leading directlythrough the rear end of the end tongue 12. These dovetailed grooves 21,22, and 23 are all in perfect 'alinement with one another along thelongitudinal center of the rear edge 1T. lt will be appreciated from theforegoing description that' any tongue of a blocl: has in the same blockitsA counterpart, the tongue 12 being opposite the groove 11, and thetongues 14;, 15, and 16 being opposite the grooves 22, 21, and 23respectively whereby in the assemblage of the blocks any groove willreceive the counterpart tongue of the adjacent block andsueh twoVfeatures will .exactly fit each other.

In Ythe practice of this invention after the fioor support is laidWhether it be of concrete or other material, the first operation of theWorkman is to scribe the floor in Which operation he calculates thenearest true rectangle which includes multiples of eight inches inlengthand multiples of four inches in width, using for illustration the Thesurplus floor space over this calculated Vrectangle is Y*filled b meansof scribinff strips 24 and Q5 fitted against the end and rear Wallrespectively of the room. These strips are provided respectively withtongues 12l and 15a,

,corresponding respectively ivith the tongues 12 Vand. 1510f the blocks.

`'."Ifhe strips 251 and 25 having been fitted and locked'in placeagainst'the left end and rear Wall by any suitable means in permanentposition, the Workof 'laying the blocks 10 Yis ready to proceed whichmay be done any Workman skilled or unskilled` and no mistakeor fault can'be made or result in yso doing. The'irstY block 10in the rear left endcorner is placed With its rear edge 17' directly against the strip 25with its inortises 20 receiving the tongues 15n of the strip. rlhe blockis then shoved or driven by Ya hammer 0r mallet to the left bringing thestrip tongue 12a into. theend groove 11 of ,theV block. The next block10 Vmay then be l putY place in a similar manner against l, the stripiand forced tothe left making interloc ng engagement with the striptongues and the tongue 12 of the first laid block. The half blocks orfillers 10L are constructed with counterpart tongues and grooves whichcorrespond precisely with the tongues and grooves of the standard orinaster blocks 10 .for the obvious purpose of making a complete floor asshown in Fig. l. the several blocks of the floor br aiking joints in awell-known manner.

The purpose of the mortises 2O will no\v be appreciated in that throughthem the edge tongues 14, 15, and 16 of any longitudinal series orcombination of blocks will be received casi-ly without forcing into suchmortises. For example as shown in Fig. 8 one mortise 2O receives theadjacent tongues 16 and 1li, and the other niortise 2O receives thetongue 15 of the saine block that has the tongue 14 just mentioned. Theblock being set at this time is then moved to the left to interlock withthe end tongue 12 at the left and to bring` the tongue .15 at the lel'tinto the groove 22 and the contiguous tongues l1- and 16 into thecentral groove 21, and so on. The rounded ends of the niortises Q0facilitate the mating together of these interlocking counterpart tonguesand grooves. lhe interlocking features, however, are so constructed thatthey possess a fairlyv snug or moderate driving fit.

I Wish to call at this time particular attention to the combined tongues15.). and 1i; at one corner of the block. rlhrough this feature ofconstruction the interlocking blocks poss ss wonderful strength andholding poiver and thereby there is no possibility for any roughness oruneveness of the floor to result either at the time it is laid or at anysubsequent time.

Thilo I have practised this invention extensively and satisfactorily,laying the blocks on. concrete or other fouiulatirms Without the use ofnails or other hardware, except for the scribing strips, it is obviousthat nails may be used if desired if the sub-Hoor is suitable, and forthis purpose'I manufacture the blocks with nail holes 26 through whichnails may be driven if desired. After all the blocks are laid as abovedescribed, finishing scribing strips having grooves to receive theexposed tongues along the right hand end and 'front edge vof theflooring are set into place and fastened by any suitable means andthereby it is impossible for any portion of the floor passage 19a.Besides providing for the use- Ell ful air space the blocks more readilyadapt themselves automatically to any slight roughness that may exist inthe floor sup port. The strength or necessary stiffness oi. the floor,however, is not materially impaired. by this reduction in thickness oi?the central part of each block.

While I rei-'er specifically herein to interlocked flooring it is to bedistinctly understood that my interlocking blocks as structural unitsmay be employed in various other relations, and hence I do not proposeto be limited unnecessarily in the scope of the claims to any specificart in the practice of the invention.

I claim:

l. The herein described floor block having straight ends and edges, oneend having an unbroken tongue, While the other end has a groove adaptedto receive a tongue of the endivise adjacent block, the front edge ofthe block having a plurality of spaced dovetailed tongues, one of thetongues constituting an integral extension of the aforesaid end tongue,and the rear edge of the block being provided with dovetailed groovesthat are the counterpart of the front edge tongues and between thedovetailed grooves said rear edge is provided With a plurality ofmortises the cross section of which is larger than the cross section ofthe tongues and grooves.

2, "file herein described floor block having straight ends and edges,one end having an unbroken tongue, While the other end has a grooveadapted to receive a tongue of the endvvise adjacent block, the frontedge of the block having a plurality of spaced dovetailed tongues, oneof the tongues constituting an integral extension of the aforesaid endtongue, Aand the rear edge of the block being provided With dovetailedgrooves that are the counterpart of the front edge tongues, one of Whichgrooves is midway oi the length of said block, and between the 1fdovetailed grooves said rear edge is provided With a plurality ofmortises the cross section of which is larger than the cross seotion ofthe tongues and grooves.

3. The herein described floor block having straight ends and edges, oneend having an unbroken tongue, While the other end has a groove adaptedto receive a tongue of the endWise adjacent block, the front edge of theblockhaving a plurality of spaced dovetailed tongues, one or' thetongues constituting an integral extension of the aforesaid end tongue,and the rea-1' edge of the block being provided with dovetailed groovesthat are the counterpart. of the 4trent edge tongues and between thedovetailed grooves said rear edge is provided with a plurality of`mortises the cross section of Which larger than the cross section ofthe tongues and grooves, said mortises having rounded ends.

4. The herein described interlocking block for a building unit, the samehaving a smooth iiat upper surface and straight parallel edges, one oithe edges of the block being provided with a pair of spaced mortises onopposite sides ofthe center of the edge, the mortises having roundedends and otherwise `Hat bounding Walls, the same edge having a pluralityof alined dovetailed grooves leading from the ends of the inortises, andthe opposite edge of the block hav ing a plurality of dovetailed tonguesconstituting the counterparts of the dovetailed grooves.

JACOB D. BUTLER.

